Mandatory to use left hand?

I've recently moved from the phase where you just use your right hand (my dominant hand) and shave the right side of your face. I'm now shaving the left side of my face and according to the video with Lynn Abrams you have to use your left hand (my non-dominant hand). The video says that it's important to use your left hand.

Well, I tried that and my left hand just sucks. I can't get my angle down and it feels so uncomfortable that I get nervous about how I might mess up (I shouldn't be nervous because it's not like I'm gonna slash my throat if I mess up but I'm still nervous). So today I used my right hand on the left side of my face and I had a great shave.

My question is: Is it mandatory for me to learn to use my left hand or can I get great shaves just using my right hand? Thanks.

I tried it too and went back to shaving with my dominant right hand. I use my left for skin stretching and I get along just fine. Now after a few years a member who used to be around here , dannywonderful, posted his way of learning to use his left hand.

While watching TV, or at the computer, take a dull razor, or one with the edge taped, and go through the motions of shaving. I used a 'shavette' with no blade. I found that within a week or so of practicing that ritual I was able to get around fine with either hand.

In my case I didn't find ambidextrous shaving an advantage worth pursuing. So if you want to try that method you may pick it up easily, but if not, we won't revoke your membership for shaving with the dominant hand. Our policy is ....... don't ask ........ don't tell ...... ;)

No!

It's your face, do it your way.
I've never used my non dominate hand. And, I don't care too.

You don't have to use your right hand, use whatever feels more natural to you. Eventually in time if you used your left you would get as good as your right. I am in your boat my left sucks and you know I never tried to learn with it. I am comfortable using only my dominant hand. This is a very YMMV thing. What works for you may not work for me etc. If you want to learn to use your left just practice.

Side note: Lynn is the man, there is no question about that. His advice never strays you the wrong way. It probably would be beneficial to use both hands for angle purposes, passes etc.. I do however doubt that Lynn said using both hands is a do or die thing. Just a helpful suggestion.


Hope this helps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I tried it too and went back to shaving with my dominant right hand. I use my left for skin stretching and I get along just fine. Now after a few years a member who used to be around here , dannywonderful, posted his way of learning to use his left hand.

While watching TV, or at the computer, take a dull razor, or one with the edge taped, and go through the motions of shaving. I used a 'shavette' with no blade. I found that within a week or so of practicing that ritual I was able to get around fine with either hand.

In my case I didn't find ambidextrous shaving an advantage worth pursuing. So if you want to try that method you may pick it up easily, but if not, we won't revoke your membership for shaving with the dominant hand. Our policy is ....... don't ask ........ don't tell ...... ;)

---

Thank you so much for that post! I'll try dannywonderful's technique but it's nice to know that I don't have to use my left hand. Thanks again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scareface

No!

It's your face, do it your way.
I've never used my non dominate hand. And, I don't care too.

---

Yessssss!!!! This makes me feel so good. I'll still try dannywonderful's technique (earlier post) but it's great to hear from more experienced people that shaving with the left is not mandatory.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER

You don't have to use your right hand, use whatever feels more natural to you. Eventually in time if you used your left you would get as good as your right. I am in your boat my left sucks and you know I never tried to learn with it. I am comfortable using only my dominant hand. This is a very YMMV thing. What works for you may not work for me etc. If you want to learn to use your left just practice.

Side note: Lynn is the man, there is no question about that. His advice never strays you the wrong way. It probably would be beneficial to use both hands for angle purposes, passes etc.. I do however doubt that Lynn said using both hands is a do or die thing. Just a helpful suggestion.


Hope this helps.

---

That definitely helps. Thank you. Lynn didn't say it's do or die but he strongly suggested learning with both hands. However, it's nice to hear from other users that they don't use their non-dominant hand.

I never thought that I would ever use my left hand I was so bad. I would do just a stroke or two once in a while if I felt like it. Eventually I progressed to more strokes to where I can now use my left hand with no problems whatsoever. Whatever works is the key. I mainly just wanted to see if I could do it. I could!


Mike

A good shave is getting the whiskers off without blood letting. Doesn't matter if you do it standing on your head with your right foot :<0)

I have found by using my non dominant hand when ever I can , it makes other things a little easier. It's just a matter of training yourself to do it and if it's worth the effort to you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mglindo

I never thought that I would ever use my left hand I was so bad. I would do just a stroke or two once in a while if I felt like it. Eventually I progressed to more strokes to where I can now use my left hand with no problems whatsoever. Whatever works is the key. I mainly just wanted to see if I could do it. I could!


Mike

---

I guess Lynn is such a boss that using his left hand is easy for him. Thanks for the reply. Nice to know I can use just my right hand and have great shaves.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 10Pups

A good shave is getting the whiskers off without blood letting. Doesn't matter if you do it standing on your head with your right foot :<0)

I have found by using my non dominant hand when ever I can , it makes other things a little easier. It's just a matter of training yourself to do it and if it's worth the effort to you.

---

Lynn suggests that's it well worth the effort to use your non-dominant hand but I'm removing whiskers without passing out due to blood loss so I guess I'm doing something right. Thanks again for replying.

Hell no. Right hand all the way for me. Much as I expect true left-handed folks are.

(need to try that! )

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Hell no. Right hand all the way for me. Much as I expect true left-handed folks are.

(need to try that! )

---

I guess I should have rephrased the question to: Does anyone shave with their left hand? Ha. Thanks for replying.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hotreffys

I guess I should have rephrased the question to: Does anyone shave with their left hand? Ha. Thanks for replying.

---

Yeah...I am pretty much to the right! ;)
Lots of us use 2 hands, I don't.

I remember posting a post years ago when I started saying "Can you hold the razor like this?" and people replied, "Yeah, sure, if you WANT to, but..."

I decided to try and use both hands right then and have never looked back. I'm VERY right handed. I think some people are maybe more balanced, i.e. they can actually DO things with their non dominant hand. I can't throw a ball five feet with my left hand (well, slight exaggeration but I'm REALLY bad at doing things with my left hand).

My young son forced himself to kick a football (the real type of football, Aussie Rules football) when he was about 8 pretty much equally well with both feet.

Gentlemen,

I switched hands from the first straight razor shave, because I figured the Lord gave me two hands and I shouldn't waste His work. Looking back, I am glad I did, because switching hands improves my field of vision, and it deepens my embrace of the art form. Then again, it's your razor to use any way that is comfortable.

There are few things shaving related that are written in stone as a "must" do it this way. I trained myself from the beginning to use both hands with a SR but I still shave using only my right with a DE. Whatever gets you there safely.

Bob

I'm left-handed and have permanent nerve damage from a neck injury. My right arm and hand muscles and sensation are either shot or compromised and a slight hand tremor comes and goes. If I can learn to shave with both hands, anyone who wants to will learn. Starting out with a plastic knife (I recommend the Bojangles knife cause I like their chicken) it felt natural using my non-dominant hand in less than 10-days.

It works either way for me now. I can shave both hands, lefty and righty.

I started right handed as my left just sucked. After a while I started to just add a single left hand pass here and there and already knowing angle etc made it easier to pick up. I now use both but am still slightly more right dominant.

I remember Lynn talking about little exercises to train the non-dominant hand, such as writing your name etc.
Someday, I may try it. Right now, I would probably cut my ear just bringing the razor to my face.
Perhaps I shall breadboard an old razor and practice that way.
Here goes! :rofl2:

No such thing as "mandatory" anything. If it works for you, it's the right method. Myself, I found I was actually more attentive with my left hand, and that my technique was a little better with the off hand. My right is now comparable to the left after a couple dozen shaves, but, if it isn't working for you, why bother with it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

I remember posting a post years ago when I started saying "Can you hold the razor like this?" and people replied, "Yeah, sure, if you WANT to, but..."

I decided to try and use both hands right then and have never looked back. I'm VERY right handed. I think some people are maybe more balanced, i.e. they can actually DO things with their non dominant hand. I can't throw a ball five feet with my left hand (well, slight exaggeration but I'm REALLY bad at doing things with my left hand).

My young son forced himself to kick a football (the real type of football, Aussie Rules football) when he was about 8 pretty much equally well with both feet.

---

I guess practice makes perfect. I'll practice with my left hand for sure but it seems--based on everyone's comments--whatever works for you is all that matters. Thanks for replying.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Obie

Gentlemen,

I switched hands from the first straight razor shave, because I figured the Lord gave me two hands and I shouldn't waste His work. Looking back, I am glad I did, because switching hands improves my field of vision, and it deepens my embrace of the art form. Then again, it's your razor to use any way that is comfortable.

---

That's the thing I notice for sure: using both hands really improves my field of vision. Hopefully I'll get good with my left. Thanks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BobH

There are few things shaving related that are written in stone as a "must" do it this way. I trained myself from the beginning to use both hands with a SR but I still shave using only my right with a DE. Whatever gets you there safely.

Bob

---

Every time I hear Lynn say "I strongly suggest" I assume that he means it's set in stone. But as other users have commented, all that matters is what works for you. Hopefully I can learn with my left. Thanks for taking the time out and replying.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MisterMoo

I'm left-handed and have permanent nerve damage from a neck injury. My right arm and hand muscles and sensation are either shot or compromised and a slight hand tremor comes and goes. If I can learn to shave with both hands, anyone who wants to will learn. Starting out with a plastic knife (I recommend the Bojangles knife cause I like their chicken) it felt natural using my non-dominant hand in less than 10-days.

It works either way for me now. I can shave both hands, lefty and righty.

---

Plastic Knife? That's interesting. An earlier user, dannywonderful, also suggested a method of learning with the left. I'll try both. Thanks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hotreffys

Every time I hear Lynn say "I strongly suggest" I assume that he means it's set in stone. But as other users have commented, all that matters is what works for you. Hopefully I can learn with my left. Thanks for taking the time out and replying.

---

No doubt it is good advice strongly suggested. Once I got past the initial jitters of using my left hand too I found it convenient for different strokes and passes. I took my time and did not push things stopping when I felt uncomfortable.

I think there are only about 3 things set in stone for getting a good shave; having a sharp blade, making a good lather and having a good shaving technique. Getting there is another thing altogether and there are many ways to get there.

Bob

This is truly one of those sports where there are a lot of ways to get to success and personal preference plays a large part in everything from shaving tools to soaps to stones, to strops, to aftershaves, colognes and on and on. When I give advice to someone, it is not only because something works well for me every day, it is because I am trying to find ways for new people to become successful in being able to really enjoy shaving with a straight razor as quickly as they can. In virtually every case out there the only limit to your success is you. We are all created differently and some people simply learn quicker or have less problems than others. It is very rare when someone can simply pick up a straight razor and shave well with both hands.

There are really two reasons that I strongly suggest that people learn to use both hands when shaving. The first is that using the off hand very much increases your field of vision as previously mentioned. The second is that when you learn to use your non dominant hand, you will find that your technique dramatically improves as does the quality of your shaves. You are able to use the razor at different angles and perform different strokes that make it much easier to take on parts of your face that are a strain when you reach across and have limited site of that area.

The more you use your non-dominant hand, the better you get in it's use. You don't have to start off shaving your face with your opposite hand. You can as suggested try to write with your other hand. You can also open and close the razor using both hands. You can go through the motion of stropping with the opposite hand and never touch the razor to the strop. You can go through the motion of shaving with the opposite hand and never touch the razor to the face until YOU feel your are ready and when you do feel that you're ready, take it on a little at a time just like when you learned to shave with your dominant hand.

The main thing is to learn to enjoy the experience and using your straight razor. Once you get through the learning curves involved, you usually can't help but have fun and want to learn more.

I sometimes shave with my left foot. :rock: